Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini encouraged the local government to expedite the provision of social assistance to the community, reminding that such aid can boost the economy.
“If thousands of people have not received aid, then this will greatly affect economic recovery. With the aid distribution, at least they can buy eggs or rice, and the economy is moving. It is difficult if the aid is hampered,” the minister stated during an evaluation of the distribution of social assistance in Seminyak, Badung District, Bali on Tuesday.
Addressing the heads of Social Service from several districts and cities in Bali, representatives of State-Owned Banks (Himbara), and social assistants, the minister emphasized that the aid should be disbursed at the earliest.
From the calculation of the accumulated budget, the entire province of Bali has not disbursed Rp450 billion of social aid from July to September. The minister believes that this figure, if disbursed, will greatly help the economy to bounce back.
She also reminded that Bali’s economic condition had not still fully recovered. In a pandemic situation, the state budget, in the form of social assistance, is an important factor that is able to drive the economy.
“If the aid for thousand of Beneficiary Families (KPM) has not been distributed, the economy at the grassroots level could not move. Meanwhile, it is already mid-October. If it is not immediately disbursed, it will immediately be blocked,” Rismaharini emphasized.
To this end, the minister sought social assistance, which had not been disbursed, including those that had not been distributed since January 2021, to be immediately handed out to the beneficiaries.
To accelerate the distribution process, the minister also made an express distribution for KPMs, who had not yet made transactions. Dozens of beneficiaries from Denpasar City, Gianyar District, and Tabanan District were covered under this distribution.
Source: Antara News